Celebration. For 12 Recorders.

In 2003, I was asked to write a piece for 12 recorders for the closing concert of the Utrecht recorder festival. Its debut was performed by the Symen Quartett, Brisk Quartett and ALSQ in Utrecht in 29/5/2004. As is so often the case in my African pieces, Celebration expresses feelings of expectation, overwhelming exuberance and woefulness. However, the unusual instrumentation allowed me to write, almost orchestrally for an instrument we would otherwise really only associate with chamber music. From the piccolo to the contrabass, seven different flutes play in Celebration, enabling a surprising wealth of sound contrast and colour. For seven minutes, the piece follows virtually the same common-time theme with which it begins, while still changing and transforming and exploring a wide variety of rhythms, metres, pitches and harmonies. The piece is a big river and a big celebration; it is simple and complex, European and African at the same time. The contrast from conventional New Music could hardly be greater: while the latter translates despair in all its shades into sound, Celebration is about the different colours and tones of happiness. I would like to say a big thank you to Kagoudi, Ibrahim and the many other fantastic African musicians who encouraged and inspired me to write this type of music.
For PSSAATTBBGGK.

For PSSAATTBBGGK.

Score and 12 Parts.

number of pages: 
48
Price: 
39,90 Euro